Mahoning commissioners to crack down on overweight trucks

Mahoning County commissioners approved an 18-month agreement between the county engineer’s and sheriff’s offices to enforce truck weight limits on county roads.

The agreement, approved Thursday and taking effect July 1, is designed to prevent the premature wear and damage to roads caused by overweight trucks.

The engineer’s office will provide a vehicle and equipment, including portable scales, which a trained full-time sheriff’s deputy will use in the enforcement effort.

The engineer’s office is funding the program, including the deputy’s salary, with $79,366 derived from gasoline tax and license plate fee revenues.

The commissioners also approved the use of $20,000 from the county’s hotel bed tax as a sponsorship grant for Eric Ryan Productions for the Downtown Jazz Fest in Central Square on July 12 in conjunction with the annual Summer Festival of the Arts.

A major jazz recording artist is scheduled to perform, but Linda Macala, county convention and visitors’ bureau director, declined to identify that performer until a contract is signed.

Eric Barrett, agriculture agent with the county extension office in Canfield, told commissioners the recently released 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture reveals that Mahoning County has 578 farms, whose annual sales collectively total $41 million.

“One in seven Ohioans is employed in agriculture. It’s still our number one industry,” he said.

For the more on the meeting, read Friday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.

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